Central government to seek report on Odisha student`s suicide

Bhubaneswar: The central government will seek a detailed report from Odisha on allegations that a tribal woman student committed suicide after failing to get her stipend released from the state authorities for more than a year, a union minister said Tuesday.

Expressing his displeasure in the way the local authorities handled the matter, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram who is here in his home state on an official visit told a news agency on Tuesday he will also depute a team to find out why stipend money is not being disbursed to tribal students.
Sunita Raita, 21, a nursing student, committed suicide on August 13 at her village Diptinagar in Gajapati district, after failing to get her stipend released from the authorities for more than a year.

She had also approached the district collector two days before her death with her grievance. In her suicide note, she had named the district collector as being responsible for her death.

Sunita`s parents, who work as daily wagers, said she had joined the course with a hope that the stipend under a government scheme will meet the course fee and hostel dues.

The state government transferred Basudev Bahinipati, the district collector of Gajapati after his name figured in the suicide note.
Although Chief Minister Naveen Patanik announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, the parents of the woman said they will not take the money.